Quynh village kite

(Baonghean) -Quynh Doi Village (Quynh Luu) has long been famous as a village of scholars, a land of learning, a land that has produced many poets, patriots, revolutionaries... But few people know that this place is also a village of flute kites. In the past, in kite competitions, Quynh Doi flute kites always competed for first place...

Nowadays, there are very few people in Quynh Doi village who know how to make flutes. When I wandered around to ask around, the villagers showed me to Mr. Cu Chinh Vi's house: "Nowadays, he is the only one who makes the best flutes. In the past, there was also Mr. Lang, but he passed away a few years ago." The land of Quynh village is like a chessboard, so it was not difficult to find Mr. Vi's house. As soon as I said hello, he immediately asked: "Are you here to order a flute? I'm very busy these days and can't make it anymore." It turned out that because he is now a rare person who still knows how to make flutes, many people from many places come to order him to make one. This year, Mr. Cu Chinh Vi is 68 years old. When I asked him to tell the story of the kite village in the past, he suddenly said "ah", then his face relaxed to remember a vibrant time long gone.

Until about 30 years ago, Quynh Doi village still resounded with the buzzing sound of kite flutes day and night. Every house flew kites, every person played kites. Mr. Cu Chinh Vi, who was only 14 or 15 years old at that time, also lost his appetite and sleep because of kites. On summer days like now, looking up at the sky, one could always see dozens of kites, each 4-6m long. After a hard day's work, in the evening, villagers from children to young people, even the elderly, would invite each other to fly kites, then let the kites fly all night. The later the night got, the quieter the scene became, everyone fell asleep, the higher and clearer the sound of the flute became. From midnight to dawn, the loud flutes were scattered, the small flutes were high and fast, following each high and low wind...

The hobby is also very elaborate, making a kite flute is not simple. In the past, our ancestors made kites, it is impossible to tell all the wonders and meticulousness. Mr. Vi said: "A whole kite is as big as a three-room house, but it is completely made of moi paper (Chinese writing paper). The elders painstakingly sat and spread the sap of the fig tree to stick the kite, sticking it wide enough, which took a lot of effort, and also overlapping 3-4 layers to make it thick, drying it to be both hard and strong. As for the kite string, we broke the branches of the parasol tree, crushed them, took the fibers to braid them, or we could also use the ribs of coconut leaves.

Every time we carry a kite to fly, it takes several people at the same time, one lifts it, one holds it, one limps and holds it behind. We have to tie the kite to the tree first, then we can fly it (run to fly it), otherwise, we won’t have the strength to hold the string, not to mention the person being pulled by the kite. But if we are not careful, the kite will fall into the field, get wet and it will be ruined. But the elders still love it like crazy.” Later, learning from experience, the younger generation no longer glues paper kites, but makes kites out of plastic sheets, sewn with a string, which is fast, light, and even if it falls into the water, it doesn’t matter, we can pick it up and continue playing.

The stories about kite players are still passed down by the people of Quynh village to this day. The nights lying under the tree to watch the kite, when the wind is strong, they loosen the string, when the wind is calm, they tighten the string to prevent the kite from being loose. There are also stories about many kite flyers who encountered strong winds, got lifted up by the kite and dragged across the field, had to let go of the kite, and the next day, went down to the village below to find the kite. Nowadays, many people still know how to make kites, because it is not difficult, with a little attention, they can learn, but not everyone knows how to make flutes.

A set of flutes in Quynh Doi usually has a pair of big and small ones. The best body of the flute is made from old bamboo tubes, not bamboo or reed. Meter tubes can also be made, but the sound will be muffled and not clear. All are thrown into the pond to soak for a whole year before being scooped up for use.



Mr. Cu Xuan Vi with his flute that is over 30 years old.

To carve a pair of flutes, one must work hard for several days, attentively and meticulously, using a knife to carve, scoop, prick, and pry. The mouthpiece of the flute must be carved from yellow heartwood. There is nothing better than this wood, it is easy to carve and also has a changeable, clear, sweet sound… After carving, test the sound, then adjust the mouthpieces on both sides to be the same, if they are different, the sound will no longer be good, that is why people call flutes homophonous.

No one here has witnessed the kite competition in the past, but according to the grandparents, the Quynh Doi kite flute village was famous because in kite competitions, the kites of my village always won the championship. People placed two sharp swords parallel to each other, the kite which was balanced and flew straight up would not be broken, but the kite which was not made properly would be thrown back and forth, cutting the sword and immediately breaking. The kites of Quynh village always flew high, with sweet flute sounds.

The contest has long since ceased, and kite flute makers are now rare. It’s not that they no longer love or are passionate about the sound of flutes, but that life has too many worries, so there is not enough time for this elaborate hobby. According to Mr. Vi, the decline in the number of flute kites began when electricity was introduced. Electricity, television, and many other entertainments made kite flying no longer the only hobby. Moreover, electric wires were strung throughout the village, and flying kites as big as houses was very dangerous. Then the population grew more and more crowded, more houses were built, and kites could only be flown in the fields. Old bamboo pieces to make flutes also became increasingly rare.

Mr. Vi climbed up to the attic and took down a pair of flutes that were over 30 years old to show me. He boasted that its sound was unmatched by any other pair of flutes, and that many people wanted to buy it, but he refused to sell it. In his youth, when there were many people making flutes, everyone competed to see whose flute sounded better and more standard. But in his entire life, he could only make a few satisfactory pairs of flutes. Along with him was a very talented Mr. Ho Lang, who passed on his craft to his grandson, who recently passed away. However, the grandson only knew how to keep the pairs of flutes his grandfather had carved, but he himself did not know how to make them. The kite flute gradually faded away, so Mr. Vi also kept it, and every now and then, when he missed it too much, he would take it out and make a new kite to fly...

Leaving the Quynh Doi kite village, I kept hearing the verses that Mr. Vi suddenly remembered and hummed: "The work of making a kite/ Tell me all the works/ I sit and think about life/ Have enough fun, no job is as enjoyable as flying a kite..."!

Ho Lai